TRADITION/San Giovanni celebrations
June 24
Around Florence
San Giovanni fireworks | Ph. Marco Badiani
The feast day of Florence’s patron saint, John the Baptist, is the unofficial kickoff of full-blown summer in Florence. Celebrations begin in the morning with an 8.30am downtown parade by the corteo storico, beginning and ending in piazzetta di Parte Guelfa. A second parade will take place in the afternoon in the lead-up to the sold-out calcio storico final (Bianchi versus Azzurri) in piazza Santa Croce: the procession will leave from Santa Maria Novella at around 4pm, winding its way toward via Tornabuoni, passing through piazze della Repubblica and Signoria, then moving down via de’ Neri and ending up at the pitch. At 8.30pm, head to Santi Apostoli for the grand finale of Festa della Cultura San Giovanni Battista: a concert featuring Elisa Malatesti and the Orpheus Ensemble. Finally, the 10pm fireworks show, shot from piazzale Michelangelo, is one of Florence’s reliably awe-inspiring traditions. The Lungarno will be lined with the better part of the local population, so arrive early to snag a spot! Pro tip: one of the best spots to watch the spectacle is Easy Living on the Arno beach (accessible across from piazza Poggi). Tuscan street food stands will be set up for the festivities.
FASHION/Vintage Selection
June 29–July 1
Fortezza da Basso, viale Filippo Strozzi 1, Florence
Post-Pitti Uomo, you may be inspired to give your own street style a boost. That’s where this seasonal market comes in: top vintage vendors from around Italy come to town to showcase and sell the best of their collections. Normally held at the Stazione Leopolda, the June edition will be moved to the Fortezza da Basso. Program details are still being defined, but expect more than just deals on duds: the mega-marketplace generally features DJ sets, aperitivi and events. Watch the website for updates.
DEBUT/New Museo degli Innocenti Opening
June 24, 10am
Piazza Santissima Annunziata, Florence
The most anticipated museum opening of 2016 is here: the new Museo degli Innocenti will open to the public from 10am on June 24 after a 12.8 million euro upgrade spanning 42 months. The basement level of the museum recounts the institution’s history, while the ground floor focuses on its architecture and the third floor features artwork by the likes of Sandro Botticelli, Piero di Cosimo, Luca della Robbia and Domenico Ghirlandaio. Numerous works have been restored for the reopening, including Ghirlandaio’s Adoration of the Magi altarpiece. For a detailed photographic preview of the museum, take a look at our article here.
TALK/The Changing Face of the Statue of Liberty
June 29, 6pm
Pazzi Chapel at the Basilica of Santa Croce, piazza Santa Croce, Florence
Curious visitors to Santa Croce have often noted the sculpture above Giovann Battista Niccolini’s tomb–and her striking similarity to an instantly recognizable neoclassical masterpiece, the Statue of Liberty. Now, the custodian of Lady Liberty is coming to Santa Croce for a talk on the statue’s shifting role in contemporary times. Diana Pardue, chief of the Museum Services division of the National Park Service–Statue of Liberty National Monument, will speak on the topic inside the hushed and mysterious Pazzi Chapel. US Consul General Abigail M. Rupp and President of the Regional Council of Tuscany Eugenio Giani will give opening remarks. For more information, contact Opera di Santa Croce.
ART/Splendida Minima
Until November 2
Tesoro dei Granduchi, Palazzo Pitti, piazza Pitti, Florence
This unusual exhibition spotlights a specific type of objets d’art: small in-the-round sculptures in semi-precious stone, dating from the Hellenistic and Roman eras. Francesco I de’ Medici had an affinity for these magnificent miniatures, and made it a mission to expand their role within the family’s collections. He displayed them in the Uffizi’s Tribune, a practice that inspired one of the exhibition highlights: a reconstruction of one of the Tribune’s shelves, depicting how it would have looked during the 18th century. Though most of these sculptures are only a few centimeters tall, they reveal that “grandiose does not necessarily mean large, and monumentality is not always a reflection of a work of art’s size,” commented Eike D. Schmidt, director of the Uffizi Gallery.
